Freeverse’s Project Nomads should have been a great game. At its core are a nifty idea and some truly lovely graphics. Too bad neither of these things makes up for the game’s horrific implementation.
Project Nomads is 3-D shooter with real-time strategy (RTS) elements—and it fails spectacularly in both genres. The game is set in the world of Aeres, a scattered collection of islands floating in the clouds. As a Nomad—someone who combines mystical powers with practical building skills—your job is to develop, populate, and protect your island. You’ll build defenses such as guns, hangars for constructing aircraft fleets, and resources such as windmills. You’ll then use these things as you square off against your foes on neighboring islands.
Each mission is so heavily scripted that the game seems to be on rails. Once you figure out a few simple, predictable patterns, your enemies will fall like flies. Even worse, the RTS elements are poorly thought out. For example, you can control only one resource or defense at a time. There’s also no damage reporting to help you gauge the health of your defenses. Multiplayer gaming is strictly limited to LAN play.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of owning this game, be sure to download the latest patch, available from Freeverse’s Web site. It fixes a bug that prevents the game from working in OS X 10.3.6 or later.
The Bottom Line
Project Nomads looks pretty, but it’s a real pig. Steer clear.
Although pretty to look at, Project Nomads has too many flaws to satisfy.